Ornament



June 9, 1936. F. w. OLTMANNS ORNAMENT Filed July 27, '1935 Bu F.WDItmanns 1 -Pa'tented June 9, least UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICEoanamm'r Frederick w. Oltmam'u, Omaha, Nebr. Application July g7, 1935,SerlaLNo. 33,477

3 Claims. ('01. 41-13) homes or the like but also may be combined withstore window displays for attracting the atten- 35 tion of prospectivepurchasers to merchandise and similar commercial and decorativeuses of ageneral utilitarian nature.

A still further object of the invention, is to.

provide a new article of manufacture for the 20 above stated purposes,the construction of which is simple and inexpensive and requires noparticular or special machinery.and which may be readfly manufacturedmanually by hand operations or manipulations.

25 With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention will bemore particularly described hereinafter and more particularly pointedout in the claims. i

In the drawing-wherein like symbols refer to 30 like or correspondingparts throughout the sev-' eral views: v

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a device which may be employed forfacilitating the manufacture of the article and showing in conjunction35 therewith a quantity of the material from which the new article ismade. 1

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Figure 1, portions ofthesaid material'being broken away."

40 Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the similar to Figure 3 andline 3-,3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a view showing the relative positionof the material-after a certain later described twisting operation 45been applied to'a wire-employed.

. Figure 5 is a side view of the new article having a substantiallysemi-globular-outline or contour.

Figure 6 is a view showing amodiflcation of 5 0 the shape of the newarticle shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an elevation of an artificial flower and showing the newarticle assembled with the leaves, branches and stem thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Ill

55 indicates generally an aligning-trough which may be employed, ifdesired, and formed of side rails II- for supporting a concave mediallydisposed sheet metal trough l2. The trough, as best shown in Fig. 2, isprovided with an elongated slot l3 having oppositely disposed notches l45 formed on the side edges of the slot, said notchesin eflfect providingan aperture of greater diameter than the width of said slot for purposeslater described.

The materials from which the new article is 1 formed include a twistablewire I and a selected quantity of elongated straws" l6.

The straws are tubular and formed of glassine paper and may be of anyselected color, said paper and straws being translucentorsemitransparent. A characteristic of the straws is that they are adaptedto reflect and retract light rays.

ends are in alignment whichm'ay be facilitatedgo and expedited by theemployment of the" device shown in Figures 1 to 4, said straws beingpiled upon each other as shown in Figure 1. t

The main body portion of the wire 15 is positioned above the straws andthe ends of the wire inserted through the slot l3 encircling the strawsin instances where the said device is employed and when said device isnot used the operator may grasp a bundle of straws between the thumb andforefinger of one hand while positioning the wire with his other hand. i

The operator now twists the endsflof the wire or the bundle of strawsfor providing a loop I! V of the wire about the bundle, the twistedwire- .ends being indicated at i8 in Figure 4, which also provides afastening means for purposes later described. 1

.As the twisting operation proceeds the closed loop ll consequentlybecomes smaller thereby gathering the straws into a compact bundle and40 asthe twisting operation proceeds further and said loop becomes oflesser diameter the wire binds down upon the straws intermediate theirends compressing the annular wall of each straw until said walls becomeflattened-and gathered compactly adjacent the loop. t I

This step of the operation causes the outer or free ends of the strawswhich are adjacent the end of the loop or further away from the lasttwist of the wire or fastening means l8 to spring upwardly, as shown inFigure 4, resultant from the larger amount-of pressure applied by meansof the wire loop to said straws and proportional to the lesser amount ofpressure applied to the straws at the lower portion of the bundle adJa-56 The straws are placed in a manner whereby their with two wires. Thewire alignment and forming all of the straws into a semi-sphericalconfiguration; whereupon the thus formed article may be removed from thedevice 10, the notches- H3 of the latter permitting a removaltherethrough of the fastening means lliwhich is of substantially twicethe diameter of the wire IS. The slot l3 should be of a width equal tothe diameter of said wire.

Inorder to form the new article of globular outline, as shown in Figure6, two wires are employed, the second wire b"ng indicated at IS inFigure 6 and illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 1.

The new article of globular shape is formed as heretofore describedexcept that a proportionally greater quantity of straws are employedtogether I is twisted as heretofore mentioned for producing the articleof semi-globular shape; whereupon the operation is repeated except thatthe wire I9 is employed and similarly twisted for. causing the straws atthe bottom of the pile to become compressed by the wire l9 proportionalto the straws at the medial portion of the bundle or pile. The ends ofthe straws at the bottom of the bundle are thus caused to spring towardseach other. At this time if but one fastening element is desired uponthe article of globular shape, the second twisted wire may be trimmedshorter by means of any suitable cutting implement or bent'o'r foldedinto all the medial portion of the article for cancelling the wire.

Referring to Figure 7, the new article or rosette may be assembled withthe stem 2| for forming asimu'lation of a flower or that article ofcommerce conventionally known as an artificial flower.

Also the new article shown in Figure 5 or Fi ure 6 may be used in. anysuitable manner and combined with any suitable decoration or itsfastening device l8 may be employed for hanging the article under anelectric light bulb or at any selected place where display is desired.

It will be understood that light rays which enter the ends of the strawsilluminate the latter more profusely than light rays which penetratethrough the 'sidewalls thereof whereby the new article provides lightsand shadows therein of pleasing effect particularly when artificialelectric light or sunlight rays are provided thereon. Said straws beingof the same color or of harmonizing colors a pleasing and attractiveeiiect to the eye is presented.

In forming an article of the present invention,

particularly the semi-globular article shown in Figure 5, the upstandingstraws may be of lesser length and of a diiferent color from the otherstraws for providing a closer simulation of certain' flowers.

Also the new article may be combined with artificial Christmas trees fordecorating the latter as well as hung upon the limbs of naturalChristmas trees for ornamental purposes.

The straws are formed of a translucent paper .rolled upon itself orcomposited su ificiently to be normally self sustaining, the number oflaminations to provide a tubular straw being optional.

Of course, where a large ornament is desired and formed'of straws ofproportionally great length the number of laminations of paper for eachstraw is necessarily greater for providing a fairly stiff straw adaptedto resist normal accidental contacts with objects while at the same timesaid straw is compressible transversely for disposing its ends radiallywith respect to a medially positloned securing means such as the wireloop.

I do not wish to be restricted to the size, form and'proportion of thevarious parts and obviouslychanges could be made in the constructionherein described without departing from the spirit of the invention, itbeing only necessary that such changes fall within the scope of theclaims.

What is claimed is:-

1. As a newarticle of manufacture, an ornament comprising a plurality oftubular straws,

means binding the straws together substantially midway between theirends, said means compacting the medial portions of the straws'to therebydispose the straws in radial position about a common center.

2. The process of making ornamental decorationsconsisting in disposing aplurality of elongated tubular translucent straws longitudinally side byside providing a bundle, placing an elongated flexible element about thebundle between the ends of the straws, twisting the ends of said elementtogether for forming a loop encircling the bundle, and further twistingthe ends of said element for compressing the straws adjacent said loopfor causing the endsof said straws to be disposed radially withv respectto said loop.

3. The process of making ornamental decorations consisting in arranginga plurality of elongated tubular translucent straws side by side,placing an elongated flexible element about the straws transversely andbetween the ends thereof; twisting the ends of said element together forproviding .a loop portion thereof encircling the straws, and furthertwisting the ends of said element for compressing portions of the strawswithin said loop and causing the ends of said straws to be radiallydisposed with respect to said loop.

FREDERICK W. OLTM'ANNS.

